It’s the bits that you discover — as you gradually get under the skin of a car — that alienate or endear it to you. And with the crisply designed new Vauxhall Meriva family car I’ve been driving, it’s very much a case of the latter.

Who could fail to be wowed by the breadth and variety — not to mention the glamour and appeal — of the models unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show, which opened last week? And with the UK motor industry announcing that domestic sales were up by 3 per cent in February, marking 24 consecutive months of growth, it was hard not to feel a tingle of pride for British craftsmanship too.